Back for the First Time
by Uncle Charlie
Summary: Written for Intoabar - Steel walks into a bar and meets Spike. Steel never thought his relationship with Sapphire would require a vampire for explanations, but Spike is willing to overlook that and give his advice anyways.


Steel paused before the door and repressed an urge to shudder. The night wind was cold, but he was immune to that. Rather it was a sense of foreboding. Why They would send him here was a mystery. Why he needed to rendezvous with Sapphire in this dismal spot was even more so. There were times when he wondered just what motivated some of Their actions.

He pushed through the door and stopped. Whatever was calling this place home, it wasn't human. There were odd shapes and forms, some furry, some dripping with slime. The smell was overwhelming and Steel was glad, for once, that he didn't need to breath to live.

Almost as one, every head, such as they were, or eye stalk turned in his direction. He felt like a slab of beef presented to a pride of starving lions. He'd never felt that way before. Perhaps this is what vulnerability felt like. It was a new sensation and not one that he particularly enjoyed. It made him feel almost weak and Steel did not like feeling weak. That was for others, but not him – never him.

"You aren't welcomed here, human," something shouted, although Steel could not make out what.

A creature rapidly approached him, tall and bright orange. It regarded him for a long moment and then snarled something at him, a tentacle reaching out in his direction. Steel knocked it away and started to move past it.

"I must touch you, human," the creature growled making a second attempt.

"Then it is to both our advantages that I don't care, either for your opinion or welcome." He easily eluded the tentacle and approached the bar. Instantly he scanned the immediate area for his partner.

_Sapphire?_

There was no response.

"Impressive and bloody stupid."

Steel looked to his left. There was a man sitting on a stool, drinking something thick and red. Sapphire could have analyzed it in a second, but Steel could only guess its composition. It looked disturbingly like blood. The man was thin and wearing a long leather coat over his red shirt. His hair was an unnatural white and his eyes a piercing blue.

"You are English." It was a statement, not a question. Around them, a dozen other conversations buzzed, all the other occupants of the bar studiously ignoring them, although Steel had the suspicion they were all about him.

"Brilliant, Sherlock. You figured all that out in just four words."

"What exactly did I do that was impressive and foolhardy?"

"Not foolhardy, mate, stupid, but who cares?" The man took a long drink from his glass, emptying it. "Same again, Willy."

"I'm cutting you off, Spike." The bartender was a small man, but Steel suspected that, like many other here, he was not what he appeared to be. "Your tab is building up and I'm not running a charity."

"Then put it on his tab." Spike indicated Steel. "He hasn't got long for the world anyhow. Might as well have one last one on your way out."

"I do not understand."

"No one insults a Carachhci Demon and lives. Especially one that has decided that you are nursery material." Spike took the mug that Willie pushed towards him and held it up. "Cheers, mate. It's been nice almost knowing you."

"You are speaking in riddles."

"Then I will take it slow. It needs a host and you fit the bill."

Steel frowned and felt something grasp him, tightening. A quick glance told him it was the tentacle he'd eluded earlier. A burning sensation started to sear his skin and Steel reacted in one of the ways open to him. He closed his eyes and let his inner core drop. At a minus thirty five, the grip loosened and Steel smiled tightly. By the time he reached a minus one hundred, all conversation in the bar had stopped.

He opened his eyes and saw the Carachhci demon, now a pale yellowish white, staring back. Its eye was staring and ice crystals were collecting on its head ridges. Still, the creature managed to unsheathe its spike and attempted to drive it into Steel's stomach.

Steel grabbed the spike and the monster shrieked as it snapped off in Steel's hand. Steel pushed the creature away and it toppled over backwards, shattering into a million tiny shards.

For a long time no one said anything, then the bartender choked out, "I'm gonna have to charge you for cleaning that up." That seemed to be the trigger and the bar returned to normal.

"Bill me," Steel murmured, barely managing to keep his teeth from chattering. It was times like this that he missed Lead the most.

Spike was still sitting, but his arrogant look had been tempered with shock. "Bloody hell," he blurted out. "What the hell kind of demon are you?"

"I'm not a demon. I am Steel." He looked at the barkeeper. "Something hot?"

Immediately a cup of something dark was pushed in front of him and Steel warmed his hands on it, pulling the heat deep into himself. The liquid instantly froze. Wordless, Willy remove the mug and replaced it with a fresh one. They repeated this with many more cups until Steel was satisfied that he was sufficiently warmed. Thankfully he hadn't dropped to his absolute zero of a minus four hundred and fifty-nine or he'd have totally frozen up.

Spike touched him and Steel nearly blurted out a warning, but the man's touch was as cool as his own.

"How is this possible?" Steel took Spike's hand. "A human would be dead at this temperature."

"Right on the nose. Vampire. I'm room temperature, at best, but I got a little too close to you. Why are you here?" Spike retrieved his hand.

"I am meeting someone... I hope." He added the last under his breath.

Spike drained his mug and pushed it away. "I know that feeling."

Steel frowned, amazed that the man had heard him. "What feeling? How did you…"

"Again, vampire, superior hearing, sight, disarming good looks, it's part of the package. As for the other, the waiting… the hoping the next person through the door is her and the hoping she'll want you, need you. Preparing yourself for the second she says your name."

"I don't… need." Steel trailed off for he knew he did. He needed Sapphire. She was part of him now and him, her. Without her at his side, he felt broken and disjointed. Perhaps that was the purpose of his mission here – to show him just how weak he'd become as an individual. But was it to show how weak he was alone or how strong they were as a pair?

A young woman appeared in the doorway and her presence had a startling effect on the bar's inhabitants. There were whispers, gasps, and growls of dismay. Some started slinking away into the shadows or for the nearest door.

Willy came around the bar, wringing his hands. "You're bad for my business, Slayer. What do you want?"

She ignored him entirely. "Spike, we need to talk." She walked up to the man, barely glancing at Steel. "Are you coming or do I have to beat you?"

"Why, Slayer, I didn't know you cared." He looked at Steel and smiled. "It's dysfunctional, at best, but at least I'm willing to admit I'm Love's bitch. You'd be wise to do the same, mate. It'll save you in the long run."

"I am no one's… bitch and I very much..."

_Steel?_

Instant, Steel stopped. _Sapphire! Where are you?_

_Just outside._

_I'm coming. Stay where you are and do not come in. It is not safe in here._

Steel turned and walked away, hearing Spike laugh behind him. "Sure you aren't, mate. Bet she just called you then."

He paused. "How?"

"It is all over your face."

Steel shook his head and walked away from the bar. Behind him, he heard. "Who's your friend, Spike?"

"No idea. I wanna keep it that way. What do you want, Slayer?"

Steel never discovered what she was looking for, but he had the sense that Spike had. Steel stepped out into the night and took a deep, if unnecessary, breath and for the moment, savored the breeze against his skin. It ruffled his hair and made him shiver. Looking across the parking lot, he saw Sapphire and felt his mood growing lighter, his sense of being more easily defined. Without her, he was just half. _Perhaps Spike is right. _

_Steel, who is Spike?_

Steel looked back at the bar just as Spike exited, shoved by the woman. He spun and said something, but the Slayer had already left. Spike looked over his shoulder at Steel, shrugged, and then followed her. Almost instantly they were swallowed by the night. Steel had the feeling it was just what Spike wanted.

_Unlike me, someone who has figured it out._ Steel held out his hand to Sapphire and she took it. _Let's go home._


End file.
